West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-11-24
PARENTAL BLUNDERS.
DIR. TALMAGE,s SUNDAY SERMON.
A Few Words OF Wisdom About Train.
ing Children.

TEXT; He Ccu OF from the seat bd cItoard
on the side Of the gate, and his neck brake,
ana ne died, for he tCdS an old man and
heavy ~ Samuel iv., Is.
This is the end OF long story OF parental
neglect Judge Eli was a COOL man hint no
let his two boys, Hophni and Phinehas, do as
they pleased, and through over indulgence
they went to ruin Tho blind old Judge
nlnety-eight years of age, is seated at the
gate waiting for the news of an important
battle in which his two sons were at the front
an express Is coming with tidngs from the
battle This blind nonagenarian puts his
hand behind his ear and listens and cries:
w nat meRneth the noise of this tumultyn
An excited messenger all out OF breath with
the speed, said 10 him "Our army is defeat
cd The sacred chest called the ark is cap
Sured' ana your sons are dead on the field. ~
NO wonder the father tainted and expired
The domestic tragedy in which these two
sons were the tragediaus had finished its fifth
and last act. HE fell from OIL the seat
backward by the side of the gate, and his
neck brake and he died; for LIE was an Old
man and heavy
Eli had made an awful mistake in regard
70 his children. The Bible distinctly saws:
his sons made themselves vile and ne re-
strained them not.n Oh the ten thousand
mistakes in rearing children mistakes of pa-
rents, mistakes OF teachers in day school and
sabbath classes, mistakes which we all make
Will 1t not be useful TO consider themi
ms country is going 10 loo conquered by a
great army, compared with which that of
Baldwin the FiUst, and Nerves and Alexan-
der, and Grant, and Lee, all put together,
were IN numbers Insignificant. They will
capture all our pulpts, storehouses factories
and halls of legislation, all our shipping ali
our. wealth, and all our honors. They
VIII take possession OF all author
ity, from tho United States Presi-
dency down 10 the humblest constabulary
of everything between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans They are on the march now
and they halt neither day nor night. They
Will soon be here, and ali the present active
population OF this country must surrender
and give way. refer TO the great army OF
children. Whether they shall take posses
sion OF everything for good or for bad de
penis upon the style OF preparation through
which they pass on their way from cradle to
throne. Cicero acknowledges he kept in his
desk collection of prefaces for books, which
prefaces he could at any time attach to anv-
s snnfng he wanted to publish for him,
teachers have all prepared the pre-
face OF every young life under their
charge, and not only the preface, but the APP
pendlx, whether the volume be a poem or "A
farce. Families and schools and legislatures
are in our day busily engaged in discussing
what is the best mode of educating children
Before this question almost every other
dwindles into insgniicance, while de
pendent upon its proper solution is the wei
rare OF governments and ages eternal
Macaulay tells of the war which Frederick
the Second made against Queen Marie
theIesa. ANT. one uay she appeared before
the Diet, wearing mourning for her father
and he'd up in her arms before them her
child, the Archduke. This so wrought upon
the officers and deputies of the people that
with half drawn swords they broke forth in
the war cry: Let us die for our Queen
Maria ThereSam So, this morning realizing
that the boy of to-day is to be the ruler Of
the future, the popular sovereign, | hold him
before the American people TO arouse their
enthusiasm in his behalf, and TO evoke their
oath for his defense, his education and his
sublime destiny
If pareut, you win remember when Won
were aroused TO these great responsibilities
and when you found that you had not done
all required after you had admired the tiny
hands, and tho glossy hair, and the BRIGHT
eyes that lay in the cradle. You suddenly
remembered that that hand would yet be
raised 10 b.esss the world with its benedic-
ton, or 10 smite it with a curse. In Arios-
tos great poem there is character called
Rugglero, who has n shield of insufferabie
splendor, but it is kept yelled, save on certain
occasions and when uncovered it startled
and overwhelmed its beholder who before
had no suspicion OF its brightness. NV hope
to-day Is 10 uncover the destiny Of your child
or student, about which YOU have no especial
appreciation, and flash upon you the splen-
doris OF its immortal iture. Behold the
shield and the sword Of its coming conflict
propose in this discourse to set forth what
lconsider 10 be some Ct the errors prevalent
In the training of children.
First; remark that many err in too great
severity or too great lenien-y of family gov
eminent. Between parental tyranny and
ru.nous laXativeneSs Of discipline there is a
medium. Sometimes the father errs on ono
side and the mother on the other side Good
family government is all important An
nrchy and misrue in the domestic circle is
the torerunner OF anarchy and misule in the
oIaJe. what repulsive spectacle is "A home
without order or discipline disobedience and
1mpudencc, and anger and falsebood lift
ing their horrid front in the place which
should be oonsecrated TO all that is holy, and
peaceful, and beautiful. In the attempt to
avoid all this, and bring the children under
proper laws and regulations, parents have
sometimes carried themselves with great
r1gor. John Howard, who was merciful
70 the prisons and lazarettos, was
merciless in the treatment OF his
children. John Milton knew everything Inf
how 20 train his family. Severe and unrea-
sonable was he in his carriage toward them
He compelled his daughters 70 read 10 him in
four or I'VE languages, but would not allow
them 70 learn any OF them, for ne said that
one tongue was enough for n woman. Their
reading was mechanical drudgcry when il
they had understood the languages they read
the employment OF reading might have been
luxury. No wonder his children despised
him, and stealthily sold his books and hopad
Tor his death In all ages there has been need
OF society for prevention OF cruelty 20 chill.
aren. when Barbara was put to death by
her rather because she had cOuu termandcd his
order, and had three windows Put ia a room
Instead oftwo, this cruel parent was a tyre
Of many who have acted tho Nero and The
Eobespierre in the home circle The heart
sickens at what yOu sometimes see even i'm
families that pretend % b. Christian-per-
petual scodiug, and hair-pulIing. ear box
ing. and humping and stamping and fault
hnding, and teasing, until the children arc
yeTed beyond bounds, and growl ia the
sleeve, and pout, aud rebel aud vow
within themselves that in after davs
they will retaiate for the cruelties
pTacuced Many a home has become as full
otdispute a. was the home Of John O'Groat
who built his house at the most northerIv
point in Great Britain And tradition sovs
that the house had sight windows and eight
doors, and table Of eight sides. hecause he
had eight children md the only way % keen
them out ~ bitter quarrel was 10 have n
separate appointment fO- each one Of them
That child's nature is zoo delicate 10 be
WORKED upon by ige-hammer and gouZe
ana piie-duver. Such fierce lashing instead
or breaking the hiZh m rttis 90 bit and trace
VII make 10 dash of Che more uncomfortable.
Many seem 20 think that children arc nar-
not 1T Tor use tin they have been hetchsled and
gWingled Some one taking 20 a child said:
II wonder what makes that tree out there 90
FAMILIES an the disci f....-s s concentrated ugon
one caid mead. III anything is done wrong
the suppositiyn IS that George did &C. Hs
broke The hitch. He left open the gate lie
hacked the banisterl Tie Whitfield sticks on
the carpets And George shall be- the scape-
goat TOT at domestic MISUNDERSTANDING and